Ask Frank DaignaultFrank Daignault is recognized as an authority on surf fishing for striped bass. He is the author of six books and hundreds of magazine articles. Frank is a member of the Outdoor Writers of America and lectures throughout the Northeast.

Weird thing is the newer guys now are older than the old guard was when they were the old guard.

Good point, even if I did have to read it three times. Taking it a step further, some of the old high-liners of the day back in the day are still right up there, at least in boats -- RI's Martini, Jobin, Gallagher, Al Anderson, at risk of overlooking some important ones.

Good thread. Here's some of mine.
First year surfcasting a famous rivermouth. I'm tossing an Atom popper for big blues with limited success. Others are doing well with Rangers (name unknown to me). I'm wearing dark amber, polarized sunglasses. Decide to buy some at a well known tackle shop. I walk in and stare at the selection of Rangers sans sunglasses. Don't see the color others were using. Shop owner asks if I need help. It turns into a "This is the color".
"No, its not!!" conversation.
Eventually, I buy one, walk outside, put the glasses back on and ... Dooh!! It's the first and last time I ever disagreed with Kay!!

Second story shows fishing is suppose to be fun, so laugh ... at yourself. I had decided to learn how to use a casting reel ... at age 45. First casts are into the snow filled park. I want to be ready when the season starts. After about 15 combined hours of practice, it's time to try in early May. I hit the beach with only one other angler in sight. He's a long time high-liner, the son of a famous bassboat captain. As we talk, the first schoolies of the season appear at our feet. All my practices were focused on casting as far as I could. Never tried just flipping the bucktail. He casts, fish on. I cast and birdsnest on. I could see the smile thru the back of his head as he walked away, following the school. By the time I got it sorted out, he and the fish was gone. From time to time, he sees me at the baitshop, looking at the selection of casting reels. "Got one of those figured out yet?", he still asks, 5 years later. We're still laughing about it.

I could delete it, but wont.
This thread was originally about Al and his googanism, and was made a sticky after his passing. Even great ones such as Al and Frank have their moments You adding to it just goes to show we all do it sometimes.
And, no you are not an idiot. Please dont do that to yourself. We all come here for knowledge and maybe some entertainment. As long as you dont start running Frank or others here down, your posts are more than welcome.

I could delete it, but wont.
This thread was originally about Al and his googanism, and was made a sticky after his passing. Even great ones such as Al and Frank have their moments You adding to it just goes to show we all do it sometimes.
And, no you are not an idiot. Please dont do that to yourself. We all come here for knowledge and maybe some entertainment. As long as you dont start running Frank or others here down, your posts are more than welcome.

First of all, Al didn't really have any "Googan Daze". He was great from the beginning because he was there! He was already doing something few, if any in his area, had tried before. There was one "mis-conception" that he had when we first started together that "I think" I cured him of (but who knows if he "reverted" to his old ways when he was out of my sight): He used a "jam knot" (an "unimproved clinch knot") to tie his rigged eel onto his leader and knowing that it slipped, he stopped the slipping with a single overhand knot. I explained the faults of this way to him many times and eventually he conceeded that a "improved clinch" was better.
Just for the record: he never lost a fish the old way.........JC

First of all, Al didn't really have any "Googan Daze". He was great from the beginning because he was there! He was already doing something few, if any in his area, had tried before. There was one "mis-conception" that he had when we first started together that "I think" I cured him of (but who knows if he "reverted" to his old ways when he was out of my sight): He used a "jam knot" (an "unimproved clinch knot") to tie his rigged eel onto his leader and knowing that it slipped, he stopped the slipping with a single overhand knot. I explained the faults of this way to him many times and eventually he conceeded that a "improved clinch" was better.
Just for the record: he never lost a fish the old way.........JC

Jason,
Al did have his googan moments, as he wrote in this thread. All of us do at one time or another. No matter how good you are, you always do something silly. It doesn't detract from what you become, but rather shows that we are all human, and learn from our mistakes...

This is only done on dead rigged eels. What you are doing is rubbibg all the color from the outside of the eels skin. It does not grow or come back or anything. Live eels are a another item. You don't do it to live eels. It would be a battle and he would probably die quicker. You don't want that to happen.. The longer you can keep the eel alive the better. In fact if I fish a live eel on the bottom" on a fish finder rig " I hook them in the tail which does little or no damage to eel. They live longer than a head hooked eel live eel.

Although this is a "googan" thread by AlB, I'm reading through gleening high-liner nuggets of gold scattered throughout.

Although this is a "googan" thread by AlB, I'm reading through gleening high-liner nuggets of gold scattered throughout.

In "my book", hooking a live eel in the tail would be a googan thing to do. However, there were dozens of 50's taken that way on Long Island (NY) during the early 1970's and that was how Bentsen started doing it. Later, he found that if he was bottom fishing then bunker chunks were more effective (less trouble too)..........JC

Most here know that you have been a high-liner in the striper surf for most of your life. You have seven 50 pound plus linesides and have a solid reputation as a surfcaster and gentlemen. No problem. But readers here, and me for sure, would love to hear about some of the dumb stuff you might have done in your formative years before you knew the ropes which later had a way of reminding you of things you now wish you could forget. Fess up, Al.

Wanting to know more about al benson. New your fisherman along with Gus and nat piazza my father and me the son still fishing. Michael angelo

In "my book", hooking a live eel in the tail would be a googan thing to do. However, there were dozens of 50's taken that way on Long Island (NY) during the early 1970's and that was how Bentsen started doing it. Later, he found that if he was bottom fishing then bunker chunks were more effective (less trouble too)..........JC

So did nat piazza in his later years spending 50 of striped bass on the east cost. There are many stories to be shared in those early years.

For me there was always a bit of "mystique" involved when I was fishing with Al. At the point I started fishing with him in the mid 70's he was already a living legend to me so to think of him and "googan" in the same sentence was difficult. I may have mentioned this before but when I do think of it, he did do one obvious googan thing and that was the knot he used for tying his rigged eel to his mono leader. He used a "jamb-knot" (un-improved clinch knot) and then singed the tag end with a cigarette. When I pointed it out to him and he didn't care, he aid that's the way he has been doing it and he won't change a thing. You can't argue with success!
Frank Keating (NY Post) wrote a big piece on him in the 70's and titled him "Unreconstructable". I made Al a shirt for our club with that name on the back.......JC